Season One : Episode 11 "The Engagement"

If anyone were to ask how we met I would start off by telling them, " at the time we had both been attending Dixie State University and it was a really unique situation... so she had been home one evening when all of the sudden two angels appeared in her room! They told her that she needed to come with them and she began ascending in the air as if into heaven. When she finally gained her speech enough, she asked the younger angel, "Where are we going?" He matter-a-factly responded that she had reached a level of righteousness to that of perfection and was being taken up into heaven. Taken a-back by his response she had gasped, "I'm not perfect!" (This was when the tables turned and I came into the picture) Immediately they stopped ascending as the older angel looked sternly at Emily. The younger angel muttered, "Not another one- " At this point Emily began to worry and asked what was wrong. The older angel simply said since she had now lied to them she was imperfect and could not enter heaven. Her worry turned to fear when suddenly her angelic companions disappeared and she began falling from the sky. Around this time I had been returning home from some classes and was reaching my apartment complex at Raintree when suddenly Emily fell right into my arms and she has been an angel in my life ever since...

 I guess if you ask Em' you may receive a different explanation as to how we met and started dating but the simple fact is that she is my angel. She has blessed and improved my life ever since we met. She is an example and someone who loves me despite my imperfections and my many flaws. What an incredible experience it has been getting to know her and reaching this point in our lives.

Honestly it was before we started dating that I knew she was the one for me. It was a blessing to know and something I will always be grateful for as it pulled me through any difficulty we faced. I had wanted to wait until I had given her family the respect of meeting them and a point where I was financially secure before I proposed. So I began my hunt for her ring all across the mesa valley. In the mean time and unknown to her I scheduled a flight to Dallas Texas where I could meet her dad and ask for her hand in marriage. On the weekend of September 7th 2013 (a day before I entered the MTC back in 2010) I flew up to Boise, ID where my mission buddy Timothy Hibbard could escort me to her home and film our proposal.

While she was just babysitting at home I randomly showed up at her door and knelt down to propose first with a ring-pop and then with her ring. Amazingly enough she said yes and came with me to Arizona two days later.

Our wedding is almost here with less than a week left we are to the count down at 5 days left!!! I could not ever express the joy in my heart or the excitement I feel as the day gets closer and closer and closer!! I am so grateful for the opportunity we will have not just to be married but sealed for time and eternity in the St. George Utah Temple. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the profound influence it has had upon my life and I am grateful for his Atonement making it possible to return to live with our Heavenly Father and to return as a family.

I dedicate this entry to my sweet Fiance, Emily Rose Hays,

-Trent D. Nielson

Keep the Faith & Never give Up, Never Surrender

Season One : Episode 10 "Patience to Perfection"

This whole night I have been thinking about writing in my blog! Well at least the later part of the night haha. As I have mentioned in the past, I work in a bakery, we make all sorts of scratch breads meaning we start them from the flour & leaven and work to the loaf all in one day. It is very fun to see something you start with as mere powder and liquid become a delicious masterpiece. Yes, every loaf of bread is a masterpiece!

It has been amazing how much I have enjoyed writing in this blog. It had been on my mind for such a long time to do something of this nature but I never really took the time to. I always felt like it was pointless with so many other blogs out there and such little confidence others would want to read mine. Now I don't worry about it so much and simply enjoy what I write. I enjoy the story and I enjoy sharing. If there is but one person that gains from it then I will be happy! Even if that one person is me, haha.

Lately it has been weird. Life has been good. In fact, it has been nearly perfect. There has been so much that is right in my life and the Lord is clearly guiding me. At the same time I have found myself more frustrated than ever before. Mostly at myself but it is a strange thing for me to feel!  I don't get angry! Ha, or so I thought.  When I am frustrated, it is often something insignificant that causes me to react and be angry and when I am occupied with something else later I realize it doesn't really matter at all. In the end I am more frustrated I was angry at all than anything else.

It is crazy how life can be. It seems the more I live life the more I am finding, it is a journey. The goal I guess is to learn to enjoy that journey. I will not be able to live perfectly now and must be able to enjoy the process of becoming perfect. That is essentially what I struggle with, wanting to know & reach the end from the beginning. ha, ha. I remember back in the day when I played video games I would choose the hardest difficulty and play the same level over and over until I could finish that level. I expected to pass with "experienced" difficulty in ease when my hand-eye coordination only provided me a "beginner" ability! And how silly it would be. My friends would be able to enjoy the game. They would continue it knowing the story line and enjoying the experience or the atmosphere and imagination the game provided. In my case I was so focused on reaching the end that I missed out on the experience and halted my progression.

In my mission we often talked about goal setting. We talked about it frequently and were encouraged to keep planners of our daily activities, planning every week 10 days in advance and every night. At times they could be very thorough and others a little rushed. These plans helped us to achieve our vision of "helping others to receive the restored gospel."  Often my mission president would encourage us to set goals to which we knew we could achieve and reach them consistently. It was only then, once we had consistently reached our goal, that we increased our goal higher. Even then it was increased enough we stretched but still knew without a doubt we could achieve it.

I know now as much as I knew then, that this is a true principle and will help me in my life as I live it. I am amazed constantly by the many lessons I am learning but I am always grateful for them. I am excited to begin applying this principle in my life again.

In the bakery I guess I know the end from the beginning and that is probably part of why I enjoy it. I know we start with mixing, go to shaping, and once we bake we are finished! We end with a delicious loaf of bread ready to be served : ) Perhaps life is a process just like the bakery with different steps that we must go through. And while a perfectionist might want to focus on only one part or even be the perfect baker on only his first loaf. We must take it step by step and as we do eventually the "Great Baker" will form us into His own masterpiece.


-Trent D. Nielson
"Keep the Faith, Never Give Up, Never Surrender"

Season One : Episode 9 "Adventures and Faith"

Life has been grand. I really have had a wonderful week. It has been filled with hard work and spending time with those whom I love, my family. The other weekend I had the opportunity to travel up to Utah for my friends wedding and my mission President's homecoming. It was wonderful to see old friends and to spend time with Em. While up there I had memories flood my mind from my mission from the great work I was a part of and the many blessings I received. Certainly it was a wonderful time to say the least.

It had been perfect timing to travel because it was my birthday that weekend! It turned out to be my best birthday yet. I got to introduce Em to my mom, which was fun! It was cool to see how well they got along! I could tell it was only going to get better from there. Em and I attended my friend Ryan Smith's Wedding. It was wonderful to see him and Mrs. Smith so happy and I was glad to be there to support them!

We went back to Em's apartment after to change for our trip to SLC. She had made me a Butterfinger & Reese's gluten free birthday cake! I was so surprised and it was absolutely delicious : ) She had got me some V-necks which looked pretty cool, "hey she will be able to keep me in style",  a pack of gum "I knew then she loved me, because she hated it when I chewed gum haha", and a framed picture collage of us "which I loved & still love, it was probably my favorite!" It is incredible how fast life goes by, it seems that it never really slows down.

When I was discovering what to blog a conversation I recently had with a friend came to mind. We were talking about God and my friend expressed that in a time when they were doing all that was right they experienced the greatest trial of their life and saw their world crash around them without any of it being within their control or their fault. My friend told me that this was when they lost their faith in God. I was saddened to hear this, to hear of their pain and of their struggles, of difficulties and challenges no one should ever face, yet sadly so many today do.

Life can be hard. There are so many serious trials that are out there, whether it be that of illness,depression, losing a loved one, infidelity in a marriage, addictions or so many other possibilities. When these trials come upon us we are lead to ask in our hearts why? For so many the question then becomes why it is happening to them? We evaluate our lives and while we know God loves us, it is hard because it doesn't feel like love...

It is so hard to be strong when we are put in these circumstances. It is hard to believe that which is not easily found or seen. There are so many deceptions the adversary will tell us. Rarely will he appear to you visibly seen and audibly heard. He works in the shadows and in the dark. He will put lies in our mind and deceptive words. Instead he will cause us to question if God is aware of us. He will cause us to ask ourself if God has heard us. He will convince us simply that God does not care and so he is not there. But I guess my purpose is not to speak of this... the lies and thoughts of Satan. Instead it was to share that God is there. He is always there. That he watches over each of us, every second, of every hour, of every day. That he knows of our pain and of our struggle.

Many assume that my life is perfect or that I am a perfect Mormon. The truth is that I have problems just like everyone else. The truth is I have trials like everyone else. I have felt the lowest of lows. I have wondered how I got to where I was and struggled to see the light in the darkness. But I have also learned that even the deepest darkness is pierced by the smallest light. For where there is light, darkness cannot reside.

If we allow ourselves to hope it will always be able to overcome despair and with hope comes faith and with faith comes charity and with charity come the pure love of Christ. As we serve those around us we begin to see that our trials our problems and our difficulties are not so bad. We look to others instead of ourselves. When negative thoughts come to mind we must replace them with thoughts of faith and hope. For truely God is always there and will turn the most difficult of times we face into a blessing and learning experience that we may grow. Not every trial is given by God. In fact many trials we face are the result of the actions of others. Our Heavenly Father has created a divine plan with agency, the freedom to choose. We must choose what we will do. Despite the choices of others. Though they will be judged of God for their actions, they are never an excuse for own decisions.

I remember a time shortly after returning home from my mission when I was in despair, this time had been brought to mind after reading the following revelation given to the prophet Joseph Smith, recorded in Doctrine & Covenants 122:6-7

6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

As I read this scripture I realize whatever my trials, they are small when compared to many of these struggles. Though it may feel "the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." We can know in the most difficult of trials that God is there and very aware of us. If we will only allow him in our lives he will be there to help us, to comfort us, and to lift us. I testify that the Lord Christ lives. That He atoned for all sins. That He felt all our pain. That He will help us no matter the trial. For I have faced and I have overcame through Christ Jesus.

In church a sister bought up the words of a song which to this day has always touched my heart,

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears 

What if a thousand sleepless nights 

Are what it takes to know You're near 

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise 

          
There is so much we do not understand and do not know or at least there is so much I don't know and need to learn. I guess that is what life is for though, to grow. I guess if we didn't have the trials perhaps we wouldn't realize our blessings, perhaps we would never really learn. I guess I will close this post with the most thought provoking scripture I have read for when I am about to lose hope, faith, or just feel like giving up trying, it is Doctrine and Covenants 122:8

8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

-Trent D. Nielson
“Keep the Faith & Never Give Up, Never Surrender!”

Season One : Chapter 8 " The Fresh RM's ReadMe Guide"

The time in the service of the Lord was amazing! It was filled with powerful spiritual experiences and humbling lessons of the Lord. It was there I saw all of God’s children through his eyes and felt a love for them that is unmet. My heart was expanded beyond explanation for those who I did not even know. Within moments of talking or within sight I loved and cared for them as my own family and yearned for their understanding and acceptance of the gospel in their lives. Your days were filled with the spirit and you were lead by the Lord in nearly all things. It was then that we found purpose greater than we have ever found within our lives.

When I returned home from my mission I had set goals and had a vision of what life would hold. I felt ready to return home knowing I had served with all my effort and all my heart. I was ready to begin my life, complete college, date & find a career! The way I would describe life in returning home would be that of the bug that hit my windshield the other day, I hit life hard and fast. Uncomfortably fast.

I was surrounded by my peers but I was not guarded by a name tag. I had to again form who I was. I was again at the same level as those around me. I had to determine what values I learned in the mission applied in my life today. Then have the faith to live them.

Recently I have had several close friends who have returned home from their missions, I see that life is not easy and within the first few days and weeks they are realizing how different life is. Your family is still your family but your siblings are older, some are bigger, some more mature, some married or in new relationships and some with kids! How crazy, how weird and how different?

Life today may seem so different than when you left and that is true, it is different, the environment has changed but so have you. You are now at a new point in your life but soon enough and how soon that will be is kinda scary, but you will feel as if you never left and you will be caught up in the hustle and bustle of life once again. This certainly doesn't mean you ‘forget’ your mission or throw out all the changes you made but simply the life you are living now will feel normal and you won’t feel as out of place.

What can you take from your mission? How can this transition be easier? Remember the lessons you learned! Continue to study your scriptures, continue to pray earnestly and sincerely to the Lord. Continue to kneel, if you spoke a mission language study and pray in that language. Remember what you taught! Prayer is your connection with the Lord and the very first thing the Adversary would like to do, is eliminate that communication!

I would say for me it was easy in the mission to apply these principles as I was sharing the gospel with others! I was putting His work forward but in returning home I had to realize these truths once again, now it was for me. Certainly the Lord would help me in teaching His gospel. Certainly He would be there as I searched for His lost sons and daughters. But I guess after I returned home I learned to place faith that God also cared about me and my life. That he was concerned with me finding a job and as I had faith and amazingly enough honored my parents was able to find a job for school. I had to learn to put the Lord above other pursuits and decide if I would study or attend Family Home Evening? Did I have the faith the Lord could help me with my school work? And knowing Faith was a verb. Was I willing to take the time before Family night or before the Sabbath to study?  It is amazing how many decisions there are that come into play, many that we do not expect but somehow we already know what we should do before we make our choice. If I could but encourage you to be strong. The God you knew in your mission is the same God here in life and He loves and cares about you, He knows you and understands you. While you may not be looking for new investigators you are doing important works. And making important choices such as the pursuit for a spouse.

As  times of struggle come I give you this counsel, to turn to one of my favorite scriptures which reads, 

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:not as the world giveth give I unto you, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" -John 14:26-7

Attend the temple frequently! How often is frequently?! As much as you can: daily, weekly, bi-monthly! Make the temple a strong point in your life. There are temptations and dangers which the Lord can protect you from when you stand in holy places. There have been places and situations I have been in where I know today I was only protected because of my sincere and diligent Temple attendance

In standing in holy places we must make sure our home or residence is a place where the spirit can dwell. It is our refuge from the storm. We must have a stronghold that cannot be broken by the adversary. Attend Institute and church! Continue to learn and to grow : )

Never forget those you taught, keep in touch, use Facebook or good old snail mail but remaining in contact with them will help them and inspire you to be the man or woman you that you should be.

As I look back to my return home I realize how big of a change it was. There have been so many lessons I have learned and so many changes I have made. I am certainly grateful to the Lord for the experiences I have had that have brought me to where I am today even within the last year following my mission. Now get out there and tackle life ;)

-Trent D. Nielson

“Keep the Faith & Never Give Up, Never Surrender!”

Season One : Episode 7 "Deja Vu"

This week has been good I have been so blessed of the Lord in so many ways of my life and have learned so much. There had been so much on my mind which was once blurry that now feels so clear. Something that I have always struggled with is making decisions. I look at life very analytically and so when it comes to any choice, from a big step such as where to attend college or to a small one such as my response in a conversation I have analyzed 5 different outcomes before I take a step forward. This is both a blessing and a curse.

This habit has helped me often in my life to make wise choices and stay on the right course. At the same time it can inhibit me from making decisions or choices that need to occur in my life. I take so long debating whether I will make a choice that I don't make any altogether or simply miss the opportunity that was there. I think we all do this to some extent or know someone in our lives who do. If you are reading this, you now know I do, haha!

I remember when I was on my mission and was drawing closer to the spirit, I was striving to be my very best as a servant of the Lord. I knew I had been called of God to serve Him and His children in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Mission. I wanted to be effective in my efforts. I believe that my biggest fear was really two that go hand in hand. The first was that somehow I would miss someone the Lord was trying to send to me by either a lack of Faith or a lack of attention to the spirit. The second fear was that I would slacken my strength or lose the desire or fire within me to serve the Lord.

I remember in an attempt to be sure I never fulfilled these fears I would strive to submit myself fully to the Lord. I remember two such occasions that fit well. As fate may have it I would often be walking down the street. At times I would see someone and think you should talk with them. If I would ignore it then it would be on my mind for several minutes and the next person I saw would bring the same thoughts to mind. After having this occur who knows how many times I finally decided I would act upon it. I wondered often if it was just me thinking that or the spirit telling me this person was important and needed to hear the message I was sharing. I noticed when I did talk with random people we passed as we were going about our work, I felt more fulfilled. After one such occasion I decided I would simply always strive to "open my mouth" to all we saw as often as possible. This may have simply been a hello and an invitation to get a free DVD but the impact this made upon me or them may never be fully known and I can confidently know because of this choice I did not miss anyone or ignore promptings of the Lord. As many missionaries are I was nervous coming into the field and was unsure of what to say or how my words could help any of the people we saw. I was astounded by the Faith and the boldness of my Father ( or senior companion/ trainer) as we went about teaching the gospel. But perhaps over a period of time I overcame that fear as I placed more trust in the Lord and how he could inspire me than my own words. I didn't not see it till now but this has the perfect parallel to my life today. Just as I had to simply start teaching for the Lord to guide our conversations and lessons.

With life we are expected to live our lives, it is kinda a big reason God sent us here. The greatest gift we have been given is free agency. The ability to act and choose for ourselves. As we take the faith to make decisions and take that first step into the darkness the Lord can enlighten our minds and our souls in accomplishing his will and in staying on the right path. Perhaps if we are doing what we need to and live the commandments then that is enough and he will be there to support us. You know I am pretty sure that sometimes when I write these blogs it is so much more for me to learn than for me to share anything with those you who may read it, hahah!

Elder Bagshaw (left), Elder Nielson (right)

Philadelphia, PA

The second experience that comes to mind is when I was serving in beautiful and green Drexel Hill, PA. I was companions with good old Elder Skyler Bagshaw. We always worked hard and had fun together. It is ironic because our personalities were so different but he was perhaps one of my favorite companions! We had been in our apartment most of a morning working on a "finder binder". A book with more detailed maps that would help us to be more effective when we were either lost in planning or had appointments fall through. We reached a point where we needed more materials. We had chosen to stay inside and work on the "finder binder" because our mileage was low and we wanted to be obedient and stay within the mile limitations we had been given. We felt strongly like we should go to the store regardless and get more supplies for the binder. This would mean we were on foot. There was a K-Mart fairly close which we could walk to. So we got ready to leave prayed and made it out the apartment door, up the stairs and as we opened the complex door and it began to down pour rain heavier than I had seen my entire mission! We looked at each other and determined to go inside and grab jackets. We were  tempted to just stay home but again felt the spirit impress us to go to the store and the thought was prevalent within our minds that the Lord would place someone in our path just as we had prayed ever sincerely for. As we walked my protective clothing had not worked perfectly and I was getting soaked in a matter of minutes. Shortly after we had crossed the old stone bridge out of our neighborhood and were approaching the main street corner we saw a man walking in the rain with a backpack on. I knew we needed to talk to him, I doubted for a second but reminded myself that someone walking in the rain must be out for a strong purpose and we would should talk with him. Amazing enough he was interested by what we had said or rather the spirit he felt and after further miracles which are for another time joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to my knowledge is active to this day.

What would have happened if we had been so focused on all the reasons not to go out of the apartment, what would have happened had we entertained the thoughts of why we should not talk to this fellow trudging through the rain with a disgruntled look on his face. Surely it would have been easy to pass him. But we didn't delay our decision. We chose to act and simply the Lord was with us.

It is amazing that this experience was nearly two years ago and today I am learning the same lessons from the Lord. Perhaps I am pretty stubborn. Good thing He hasn't given up on me yet! As I have been seeking answers to questions in my life recently and have attended the Temple this past week I received the same answers from the Lord. We are here to make decisions. Today my decisions are different than what I will say to someone about the restored gospel,  though that comes up time to time. They are more focused on my career, my schooling, my relationship and in general my future. I guess that I do not always need to know the how before I decide the what. And I guess that Faith is an eternal principle I am always going to apply. I am more certain as I go through life that there is more and more I still have to learn!

You know I had awoken this morning early only with the desire to go back to sleep. I was up early because there was a chance I had to work the morning shift. I guess I am glad I stayed up to blog, haha. Now though I think I will go back to bed. As I have mentioned in earlier blogs baking bread is pretty physically demanding and I want to be well rested when I do go in for work!!

~Trent D. Nielson

"Keep the Faith and Never Give Up, Never Surrender"

Season One : Episode 6 "And Thats Whats Up"

Life has been wonderful. I have been so busy that it has been hard to keep on everything. It seems I even let my blog slide a little! :/ Work has been intense but good. I have been blessed to work full time so I could save the money I need to. I have been training on an additional position learning to mix all the breads. I have enjoyed this position because it is more self-reliant and I can focus on what I am doing better.  As the mixer you write down a lot of information and completion times down so it is easier to keep track of goals and strive to improve!

The family is doing well, so that is good! Kirsten is growing up so fast and becoming so much older, it is fun to see her personality as I see more and more of who she will be, so far its pretty awesome. Suzy is going on 17 come September which shocks me, it is crazy she is growing up so fast. She is living the hard summer life of sleeping in, tanning,& hanging out with friends ;) Mom is thinking about going into real estate and dad enjoying his new position in ADOT. We work opposite schedules so I only see him like once a week, like really haha : (

It was so cute, the other day I was gonna head out to work after playing with one of my nephews and he says, "But we haven't finished playing yet." He may not have understood but I would so much rather of stayed and played with him haha. I love those boys they are soo adorable!

I have been dating a young lady named Emily Hays, she is pretty amazing, and that has been great. She is good to me and a wonderful example that I am constantly looking up to. We are in a long distance relationship which I was surprised she was okay with when we started dating, haha. It has been crazy because things have gone very different than my expectations. But that's alright because they have gone very good : ) For us a long distance relationship has been great, not because we don't enjoy seeing each other, haha, but because we get to really talk with each other. All the time we are either texting or calling, I am sure her roommates can attest to that! It has been so nice to genuinely get to know each other : )

Life is so much different at this point than I had expected it to be, I had so many plans and goals after my mission and then I hit reality like the bug that hit my windshield the other day, I hit it hard and fast, haha!  I never thought I would be living in Mesa or that I would be working a full time job through summer and fall semesters of college. My plans would have me working pest control or somewhere else over the summer to bring in the big bucks and returning for my final year of college to receive my Bachelors in computer science. Instead I will likely be in school 2-3 more years and I may not finish there. I am at home rather than on my own and I realize now that I still have so much to learn.

Life may be different than I expected but life is certainly good. I have been blessed with so many good people in my life not just my immediate family but I have made good friends quickly since moving to Mesa, I love my co-workers and enjoy my job. I have a roof over my head food to eat and I am earning the wage I was seeking. Surely the Lord has heard my prayers and helped me to accomplish what I need to in my life. Life may have its twists its turns and curves but in the end as long as we are pointing in the right direction at the end of the day we will be okay.

~Trent D. Nielson

"Keep the  Faith & Never Give up, Never Surrender"

Season One : Episode 5 " Reality Check "

Simply put life is good. I have so many blessings and opportunities before me it is incredible. I have been working for a few weeks now at Kneader's Baker. This was an answer to prayer. It is a super positive environment back in the kitchen and I am learning so much. Quite frankly maybe too much. I am learning everything about life skills to physical conditioning. Seriously I'm not kidding. The first day I was working the boss's husband was telling me to "fold the dough like a man" ... there is a manly way to fold dough?! Now a few weeks in I realize that my job is somewhat labor intensive. Instead of carrying lettuce to chop like my job at Dixie State I now lift over 50 lb. tubs filled with dough, bahaha I know that isn't a lot but my right arm is so sore from lifting, kneading and chopping over 8 hours a day! I am not complaining really. It is great :)

Today at work one of my coworkers had to leave because her children had been in an accident. This really struck me and my heart ached for her. Inside I hoped for the best but she was going to the hospital and likely it was a serious situation. I feel so bad for her. Also this and other recent events have caused my mind to continue to ponder about how precious our families really are. We never know what is going to happen in life, there are no guarantees. We may live a perfectly righteous life and still be hit with affliction or trial. As I think of this it helps me to see how much more time I need to spend with my family.

Ironically today I  had decided to spend time with my family and serve them a little. I can only attempt to express the joy this gave me. I spent time with my Nephews. I talked to them, tickled them and in the end my adorable nephew Braxton just wanted me to sit down and watch a couple episodes of Batman. Ha, I think I enjoyed our time more than he did! Come on, who doesn't want to watch batman, especially the animated series! haha

I went through some extra effort to help my mother out which I had actually intended to do for several weeks and for whatever reason had never made it to it. Well today I chose to make time. When she came home and found me helping out she was so grateful. Really it wasn't anything amazing but I could see how happy she was that I took the time to help out. I don't say this to brag that I helped my mom out but to simply say the extra effort was more than worth it.

As to other things in life I am soo excited to go to St. George this weekend. I will have the opportunity to see my good friend Jose Osorio. He has recently returned Honorably after 2 years of service to the Lord in the Canada, Montreal Mission. He has been an amazing example to me of faith, courage & charity. He has even been a constant example to me even as we have been miles apart nearly the past 3 years! I remember receiving a Christmas gift while I had been serving where he took the time to get pictures of most of the families in our ward and send them in a package to me along with several other things, including gluten-free cookies. I think of the effort and thoughtfulness put into that and am grateful for a friend that is so kind. Truely a Mighty Man of Valor. It will be wonderful to reconnect and catch up on so much!

~Trent D. Nielson

Keep the Faith & Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Season One : Episode 4 "The 'Lazy' Way"

This week has been wonderful. It has been busy as well. I have been working my new Job at Kneaders Bakery in Gilbert. It is a pretty sweet restaurant and makes all fresh breads of really good quality. I am grateful for the opportunity to work there for sure! I am learning a lot. I actually have a pretty legit boss as well, named Greg. He is pretty easy going and knows exactly what he is doing.

I have already learned a lot since I have been there. It has been interesting to notice all of the little life lessons that I see as well. One of the principles we talked about was working the 'lazy' way. I know it sounds negative but really its positive. Assuming we have to eventually accomplish all the tasks for the day, "what is the way I can best do this job so it requires the least amount of energy by the end of the night?" By looking at it from this perspective if one takes short cuts early in the game by not cleaning all the way when finished with a task, by not keeping an even steady pace, or by ignoring the dishwasher then problems occur later. There is hardened dough and ingredients over all the machinery or tables that takes 3x longer to clean. There is buildup of cooking the doughs at the same time with not enough space in the oven because they weren't completed steadily. Their are hundreds of dirty dishes to be cleaned and not enough time or space to do them. As I was thinking on this I realized it was totally applicable to life. It is so easy to be caught up in the rush of everything and take constant short cuts. Ignore a few oil changes, forget to schedule a doctor's appt. on that continual ache on your lower back or ignoring the need to file our taxes. Each of these eventually come back to bite you and they can bight back in very serious ways. These are all technically short-sighted and not truly considering the 'Lazy' Way.

As I ponder on that I cannot help but think that there are ways that we might take short cuts spiritually. Do I ever read my scriptures instead of study them? Do I just not find enough time to attend the temple regularly? Is it easier to just sleep or browse Facebook instead of spending time playing that game of Uno my sister asked me to 2 days ago? I don't know, I guess it seems like too often those parts of life of the greatest importance are cast aside. And what do we gain by doing so? Do we really get ahead? Maybe we read a funny comment that makes us laugh, enjoy more sleep or have our home more spotless... The principle is though, in the end we missed out on blessings far greater. And the fact is when my sister is 36 and i am 48 that game of uno will be different and because we didn't play it earlier we may not be as close then. [btw it was really weird to a) realize some day I will be 48.... b) That when I am 48 my sister will be 36... mind-blown]

I recently watched a video on YouTube that is a Mormon message taken from a talk/speech given President Uchtdorf (Part of the Presidency of the LDS Church) which taught this very principle. After pondering about all this I decided to make a new effort to really focus on being an individual that appreciates the precious moments of life we are given. I want to give a diligent effort now rather than being filled with regret later. So I guess in reality the true "Lazy" Way is to do it right the first time. Then we don't have a build up of dishes, we don't have unsung memories or relationships and we find greater satisfaction whether at work or just in life.

Needless to say Kneaders Bakery has been great. I enjoy the work environment and those I work with. I have just been chillin with the family and enjoying my nephews. I love seeing everyone, they are pretty cool if I do say so myself! I also talk on the phone all the time with my girlfriend. She is the best. I am super stoked for the next weekend following this because one my friends will be getting home from his mission! Good old Jose Osorio. This next week should be solid!

~Trent D. Nielson

Keep the Faith & Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Season One : Episode 3 "No better Book"

I have always been one to enjoy a good read. Since I was very young I have especially enjoyed fantasy . I read everything from "The Magic Tree House"& "Harry Potter" to "Eragon" and "Gregor the Overlander" Each of these novels would paint a scene within my mind that was amazing and incredible. To image myself being that individual that character, to wonder what I might do? Would I have the strength to fight Lord Voldemort if faced with the challenge? How would I handle being swooped away from my home and family in a foreign land needing to solve a mystery? If any of you have read "A series of Unfortunate Events" you know that could raise all sorts of perilous questions to a child's mind as there is a tragic displacement of family, bad relatives, and a multitude of occurrences of death. Each of these series hold a special place in my heart as to me they seem almost as "experiences" which I have had.

On the other hand it is amazing how many times I went to read the Book of Mormon and simply lost interest. I would pick it up read a few verses and my mind was already elsewhere and distracted. I swear I had tried re-reading it enough times to memorize 1 Nephi, Chapter 1! It seemed no matter what I did it just didn't have the same interest of the other novel's I read. It was the scriptures... no one was supposed to understand them, right? I can recall being in Sunday school and seeing all the other kids know exactly what scripture a teacher may be referring to and I was lost and couldn't follow the timeline.

Granted we read as a family at different points in time and that helped me. But I think I used it as a crutch. When I would think about reading I could say, "well we read as a family.. I am good" and simply jump in bed, haha!

Eventually though, I reached a point where I sincerely wanted to know for myself if the scriptures were true. I believe it had been the winter of my Junior year when walking through Desert Book I saw a copy of the Book of Mormon. Now this book was different than the rest. It was a light brown hardback... I thought all the books had to be blue! It looked older and I realized it was a rendition of the kind the Church originally released. As I held it in my hands I was intrigued. That year I informed my parents that it was a priority on my wish list. When Christmas time came I do not know how much I remembered asking for it but i do recall the excitement and Joy I had when I opened it. I was sure it was my favorite of all the gifts.

It was with this book that my reading would change. Though the Book of Mormon was not different I felt like reading it in this book would somehow be different. There was an appeal to its authentic style. As I look back now I would certainly say the spirit had a great roll in impressing me. As I began to read from this book not only was I reading with a new book but with a new perspective. I began to be committed to finishing the Book of Mormon all the way. I began to truly desire to know its authenticity. I can remember my firm commitment to be sure to read every night as it lay under my futon in the side where my pillow. Although I did not always read extensively I did read nearly every night.

This time of life I see myself as very spiritual. I remember over the days and the weeks time and again I would be surprised and enthused as I recognized many things which I never knew. Reading the scriptures had become my next adventure. Rather than seeing it as a complicated book I could not understand I began to place myself in each of the Prophets shoes. To be as Nephi and wonder what I would do if my brothers would not support me in the Lord's will. How would I react to spiritual impressions I did not understand completely at that time? Would I follow through? I was amazed to see the topics the scriptures covered with such directness and truth, topics of atheism, transgression and repentance, faith, virtue. It was through those blessed pages I came to know the Lord. It was then that my prayers became ever more sincere. It was then that I gained an impenetrable testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I had not yet finished the Book of Mormon but as I recall was in the book of Alma a little over half-way through when I could not wait any longer, I was determined to know. I had read a passage of scripture that touched my heart greater than any scripture before. I knelt down in prayer, sitting upright, so I did not become tired leaning on my bed. I pleaded with the Lord that I might understand, to know for myself that it was true so that I could serve him fully, so that I could know I would make the right decision to serve a mission and could prepare then to serve him. My mind was opened and my heart impressed in the same instant I recognized the many verses that testified of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I thought of how every time I applied the counsel found therein my life was bettered and it only helped me. I knew then that if any book could cause me to feel this way there was no way it could not be true. I felt shorlty thereafter and feel now that I had always known but the Lord had confirmed it to me in his mercy that I could know with a sure knowledge which I could never deny.

As I have read the entire Book of Mormon I have been inspired to be a better man. I have come to know the Lord and that he is a God of Love. I have realized that through the Atonement any man or woman can return to our Heavenly Father. I realized that the spirit is sooo real. I found such a connection to the Lord that I could never forsake him. He is a part of my life that I love and will never give up. I hope that all may come to know the Love of God and testify that there is no better book which can provide this besides "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ."

'Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” '   ~Introduction, "The Book of Mormon : Another Testament of Jesus Christ"

~Trent D. Nielson

Keep the Faith & Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Season One : Episode 2 "The Peach Perspective"

So recently I have had the opportunity to become a Professional Peach Picker at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, AZ. It isn't super close to my house but I really needed the hours and they provided a very decent wage that made up for the gas. I wasn't sure at first how I felt about being a Peach Picker. "Isn't that a job for ...other people", I ignorantly thought. My experiences would soon begin to alter my perspective. As it got closer to starting the job, though I was nervous, I was more excited just to work and went full force. I wore my lovely western clothing and boots to fit the atmosphere of the work.

My first day I was practically 30 minutes late because my GPS, "Nephi", led me astray... It took me to some Admin. building for a local high school. Then when I did find the farm I was at a closed off entrance. As I finally arrived at the main office I remember feeling relieved as I saw someone driving forward who would become my foreman and friend. When I told him I was here to pick peaches he looked at me and said... "They hired you to pick peaches!?" "oh, no" I thought, then he looked at my boots and said, " Your gonna pick peaches in those?" I just laughed to myself and wondered what to expect. When I made it to the field I was surprised to find most of the workers were my age and ethnicity! bahahahah! I began to wonder why Richard had questioned my being a peach picker so strongly. My boots remained a standing joke the rest of my time working for Schnepf Farms.

As I worked on the Peaches I enjoyed it much more than I had expected. Though it was routine, some may even same menial, in some peculiar way it was meaningful to be in the outdoors breathing fresh air, arising early & working hard. I found joy and fulfillment literally "by the sweat of (my) face." ~ Genesis 3:19

Unknown to me when I accepted the job I learned a lot more than just how to pick a peach but to start out I will teach you just that. When you are in a peach field at schnepf farms it can be exciting as you see all the trees with so much delicious fruit. One might be tempted to just take every peach from the tree but as a picker we needed to be more selective. We had an order of our picking and requirements such as wearing 100 % cotton gloves for both cleanliness and to not harm the peaches. We then would need a box and a liner. Then when we were at the orchard we would start in one corner and go East to West picking the peaches down each row. When we got to the tree we looked for the best of peaches by both size and color. Depending on our liner, our fruit size would be determined. The color would need to be a deep red with yellow it had to be firm but soft to the touch at the same time. Often one would need to step into the tree and then look out to see all the wonderful fruit that was really there. I realized soon the importance of these company procedures. The customer paid for each box, and they expected them to be quality peaches. On a long day when sun is beating and the demand for peaches is high one might feel justified pickin smaller, bruised or slightly damaged peaches. It would be easy with so many boxes to easily turn one to the other side and hide the blemish. The thing was after all the picking, the packing, the storing, and the delivering of those boxes was if the receiver opened your box and found one bad peach in box of thirty all 1000 boxes on the truck would be rejected. It seemed that something so menial would not be of so much importance yet it was. The peach picker was important.

I think in life it can become so easy to be complacent, to justify our actions and to be lazy. We often deceive ourselves with the lie that it is no big deal and won't affect anyone else. But truth is far from that. As taught in the book of Alma, "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."~ Alma 37:6 Each of us have "glamorous jobs" and "menial jobs." I hope that both you and I can learn to do our best and have pride in our work before we are responsible for the rejection of 999 good peaches. "And Again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."~ Mosiah 4:27.

Also out in those peach fields I began to meet people who became great friends. Most of us had very different backgrounds but being in those fields no matter who we were or where we came from we were all there to perform the same purpose. No one could be better than the other. We all took the job because we needed the money and so we all worked we all did our part.  It would have been really hard to find any place for any kind of pride. As we worked together our days were happier and we were more successful. I find it amazing as I look back and see that if perhaps we met in 'real  life' at the store or someplace else perhaps we never would have tried to form a friendship. I wish it could be so more in life the way it was in that field. What would happen I wonder if we didn't pre-judge those around us? What would happen if we didn't label others or put them in groups? How would our world be if we could simply see each other as equals and did our best at whatever we did? I would say it would be a much different better place. 

I have left Schenpf Farms a different man, the night before I left it dawned on me I would not just be leaving my job. I felt sorrow in my heart for I would be leaving a place of meaning,  friends and a perspective of life found few places else. It will be a time I look back on with great joy. As silly as it may sound I am honored and proud to say that I have been a Peach Picker.

~Trent D. Nielson

Keep the Faith & Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Season One : Episode 1 "So here it is"

Well I have been thinking about starting a blog for a long period of time. With the inspiration of friends and friends of friends I have finally decided to do so. I have become fairly good at journaling and now have a daily habit so I hope I am able to at least blog once each week. We will see in time I guess. Why is it I would choose to blog? Am I really so important or interesting that another would want to read my blog... probably not. hahaha But I am grateful for all that I have in my life. I am grateful for the experiences I have and the relationships I have with the Lord, my family and my friends. Perhaps there will be some small tid bit that will be beneficial to another. I certainly make enough mistakes for plenty of others to learn from!

Who am I? I am a man of 21 years old. I am a quarter Mexican and a mix of several other nationalities. I am tanner than my mother but the least tan of all my siblings. I love to spend time in the outdoors hiking, rappelling,  kayaking or good old fishing. I am mostly a city boy but know how to rough it. I love my family and they mean everything to me. I am somewhat technologically savvy and am studying computer science/ graphic design. I love to help others out and I hope that through small daily acts I might make a difference in the world.  Through the Grace of Christ I am saved! I am Christian and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.